Survey shows UK businesses failing to prepare for new data regulations

Monday 31 July 2017

A leading Jersey-based cloud service provider say many UK businesses are woefully unprepared for new General Data Protection Regulations that will come into force next year that will standardize the protection of personal data of EU citizens.

Based on a survey of 500 IT decision-makers in companies with more than 100 employees and £15 million turnover, Calligo found 69% of board-level executives were neglecting to ensure their businesses will comply with the GDPR.

The survey also found only 31% of respondents said they had governance sponsorship for GDPR at board level, while just 9% said their compliance departments were giving them full support. This lack of interest at the top level comes despite 62% of respondents agreeing that the new regulation would affect the profitability of their business, including 19% who said the impact would be negative.

In addition only 43% of companies have appointed and resourced a Data Protection Officer, despite this being a requirement of the GDPR for medium-sized and larger businesses. In IT and telecoms, the figure is just 37%, while in manufacturing and utilities it is just 36%.

On average, organisations said they will employ 10 people on the task of achieving GDPR compliance, with healthcare sector proving the most committed, devoting an average 26 employees. This compares with averages of nine in IT and telecoms and four in arts and culture.

Commenting on the findings Julian Box, CEO at Calligo, said: “It is worrying to see signs that GDPR governance does not have the full attention of so many C-level executives. Too many of those at the top think it is all about security, when that is only a part of it.

“The deadline for compliance is May 25 next year and any company that subsequently fails to handle data in the correct manner risks the severe penalties stipulated in the regulation. The top people in every organisation need to get to grips with this challenge, ensuring that their data is being stored and handled in full compliance.”

For a full report on the Calligo research findings go to www.calligo.cloud/gdpr/ebook